Last night at Carolina Wine Company in Raleigh, NC, Jed Steele was present to oversee a somewhat informal tasting of his wines. Here are a mixture of my notes and the info on the tasting sheet.
1. 2001 Pinot Blanc $14.99 Info says it will age for many years and develop more complexity and nuances. 13.4% alcohol medium straw color; quite fragrant; almost a Chardonnay nose of white fruits, light honey. Tasty, with lots of mouth presence--tastes of pear, white peach, nice lingering finish. I rated it 18 on 20-pt. scale for my own notes on what to buy.

2. 2001 Viognier $19.99 Grown on red volcanic soils on the flanks of Mount Konocti (warm days/cool nights). Barrel fermented in small French oak barrels. Jed feels this is the finest Viognier they have ever produced. Flavors complement Asian foods, especially Thai cuisine. It is the house wine for Sea-Yan Chinese Restaurant in New York City.
Medium straw color--very fragrant. Stylistically similar to #1 the Pinot Blanc. Nose with floral notes (unable to identify specifically--lighter than jasmine) and peachy notes. Taste of peach/nectarine/pear. Lingering finish. Very attractive perfumed nose--very nice to drink.

3. 2001 Cuvee Chardonnay $16.99 (a blend from different Chardonnay vineyards--fermented in French oak barrels, 30% new.
Undergoes malolactic fermentation in barrels. Pale straw color. Rich aroma including that of ground nuts (almonds?) Flavors of hazelnut and blanched pear. Well made. Might almost be mistaken for a white Burgundy--perhaps a Puligny-Montrachet. I rated it 16.5-17.5 on 20-pt. scale.

4. 1999 Bien Nacido Chardonnay $27.99
Santa Maria Valley. Said to have lots of tropical fruit aromas and flavors. For some reason I didn't take notes on this one.

5. 2000 Carneros Pinot Noir After fermentation the wine was aged for nine months in a combination of French, Oregon and Hungarian oak barrels. Pairs with lamb, grilled pork loin and salmon.
Light garnet color, very translucent. Lightly scented with red cherries (info sheet says black cherry). Taste pleasant but lighter than the 1999 Carneros Pinot Noir. Not up to its predecessor. Buy up the 1999 if you can find it.

6. 1998 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir $29.99
Ruby color (I thought a bit darker than #5);
still very translucent. Info sheet says "the wine is elegant, perfumed and alluring. Not a blockbuster wine, but one with finesse and subtle nuances. It has a smoky aromatic backdrop of wonderful cherry fruit aromas and flavors."
The scents weren't really coming alive for me (too chilled?) but the taste was a pleasant surprise--raspberry/cherry fruit and something else (smoky?earthy?) that could fit the description of "subtle nuances." Whatever, I liked it and rated it 17.5-18 points on a 20-pt. scale. Not such a bargain at around $30, but an attractive wine in a vintage that was difficult for some
growers and some varieties in California.

7. 1999 Pacini Zinfandel from "old vine vineyard" (approaching 60 years at this harvest) Described on info sheet as "a big wine with plenty of aging potential. It has earthy brambly and mildly tarry flavors and goes well with roasted meats, and even barbecued foods." Garnet, translucent color.
Bramble berries on both nose and palate. Drying on the finish. I gave it 17 points but did not like it as well as #8.

8. 2000 Catfish Zinfandel $19.99 Info sheet: "Catfish vineyard is located in the red gravelly soils of the Big Valley area south of Kelseyville. Planted in early years of 20th Century. The flavor profile of Catfish is very delicate. You might even liken it to Pinot Noir. The wine has cherry fruit, a touch of bramble, and a hint of the red dusty soil."
Dark red-purple color, nearly opaque. Aroma of zinberry, brambleberries. Taste: smooth, nicely structured, with dark fruits . If Pacini was 17 points on my rating, Catfish should be 18 at least.

9. 2000 Lake County Syrah $14.99 Info sheet: suggests cellaring--wine will reward someone patient enough to wait a few years to drink it.
Dark red-purple color; opaque
Delicate red/black fruit mix--I didn't sense much power although info sheet says very robust and intense style. Spices were more detectable on the finish than mid-palate. Info sheet says the aroma has the dusty character which is a classic terroir trait for Syrah. I may have picked up a little of that but needed the prompting of the info sheet to realize "Oh, yeah--there's a dustiness to it."

I first thought I would buy two of the Pinot Blanc, one Viognier, 1 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir and 2 bottles of Catfish Zinfandel. I later switched to 1 Pinot Blanc and 2 Viognier. The Catfish Zinfandel was sold out (drat), but I did take home 1 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir (and a half-bottle of a red Burgundy--Givry).

Hey, they even ran out of the Catfish Zinfandel before I could buy my bottles!
Also, I asked about the Shooting Star Rose' of Zin that stevebody raved about--they are no longer going to make it. He said they made only about 500 cases and it was hard to market.

I was especially interested in hearing about the 2000 Carneros. The '99 was one I really enjoyed, and I've only a bottle or two left in the cellar. I was going to wait on the '00, but I think now I'll go and scrape together a few more bottles of the '99 while they're still out there.

No, but I'm going to Mo'Cool (from wineloverspage.com) in Ann Arbor,MI later this month (California wines are the theme). I did my Masters degree at U of M, Ann Arbor and haven't been back there in a number of years.

They had a little Steele tasting stand set up at Sam's a couple of weeks ago, and I bought a bottle of the Catfish Zin. I tasted that as well as a white blend that I can't really remember. I liked the Catfish a lot.